Video: More people 'brown-bagging it' than ever

Packing your lunch? You’re in good company. Brown baggers are increasingly common, according to a report released Monday by consumer marketing research firm The NPD Group Inc.

Abbie Swanson

Rosemary Chaves and Susan Lynch nicknamed friend Bobbie Milley “faithful” because of the salads with lettuce, chicken and cheese or hard-boiled eggs and croutons she religiously packs.

“It’s out of health and habit,” Milley, of Holbrook, said from a bench in front of the Stop & Shop corporate office at 1385 Hancock St., where she works.

Chaves and Lynch said they brown-bag it when they have the time to pack, too: fruit and yogurt or a sandwich. Both options were healthier and cheaper, they said, than the office cafeteria’s sandwich, chips and drink for $6.99.

Brown-baggers abound not just in Quincy, but across the South Shore and beyond.

More and more people pack lunch from home these days, according to a report released Monday by consumer marketing research firm The NPD Group Inc. Adults over 18 brought in 8.5 billion brown bag lunches in 2007.

Saving money, health concerns and convenience were the top reasons for bringing lunch in the bag, the study found.

White collar consumers and professionals aged 35 to 54 were the most likely to pack lunches. Men carried lunches more often than women, even if women living with them prepared their lunches.

Fruit, chips and peanut butter with jelly sandwiches were the most likely to be packed from home, the study reported.

“I usually bring pasta salad, carrots and sometimes pretzels,” said Kristin Haas, 19, eating an early lunch outside Quincy City Hall on Hancock Street, where she interns for the department of planning and community development. “It’s cheaper, and it’s easier to bring in than trying to go to the local places.”

The research group that did the study agreed with Haas, saying packed lunches were the answer to two increasingly pressing questions for American consumers.

“Does it save me time, and does it save me money?” said Harry Balzer, NPD’s vice president.

But consumers’ effort to save money is costing businesses that cater to the lunch crowd.

The increasing number of brown-baggers is cutting into sandwich shops, Quincy merchants and deli owners said.

“They prefer to bring in their own lunches,” said Sam Patel, the manager of Quincy Market at 33 Washington St.

Patel estimated a 30 percent drop in the deli’s sandwich business over two years, even with its popular $5 chicken salad and $5.99 pastrami and cheese subs.

The owner of Boar’s Nest Specialty Sandwiches at 1429 Hancock St., Dave Charbonneau, agreed. He guessed the 120 sandwiches his shop makes a day was 6 or 7 percent less than when he opened last December.

“The economy, gas, everybody’s trying to save every last penny,” said Charbonneau.